Automobile trunk



E; A. ARNDT AUTOMOBILBTRUNK June 28, 1927. Re. 16,665

Original Filed $12.21} 1925 5? H m W lmulnil mu 2/ a" gmucnioz ReissuedJune 28, 1927. v

UNITED STATES Re. 16,665 PATENT OFFICE.

EmvEsr a: sailor; or srovx CITY, Iowa.

AUTOMOBILE TRUNK.

Original No. 1,594,235, dated July 27, 1926, Serial No. 51,621, filedAugust 21, 1925. Application for reissue filed May 26, 1927.

My linventiion relates generally to what con biiied trunk for travelingpurposes, lugga e carrier for delivery purposes and spare tire carrier.6

More particularly it is -my purpose to arrange a spare tire carrier, incombination with an automobile trunk, so that the spare tire will not inany way interfere with the opening and closing of the trunk, the trunkbeing as convenient. of access as though there were no tire present andconversely so'that the trunk may not interfere in any way with theremoval or replacement of the spare tire.

' A further object of my invention is to trunk member or cover which isnext to the hinge being open and adjacent extremities of the 7 sidesbeing provided with elements adapted to engage coacting elements on thelixed trunk member for limiting the movement of the cover to ahorizontal position and for supporting the weight of the articlescarried thereby, said coacting elements being disposed between thetelescoping sides of the respective cover and trunk member so as to bepractically hidden at all times.-

Another object of my invention is to so mount a tirecarrier relative tothe trunk that a tire which is very much larger than the area of thetrunk ma be carried thereby and yet will not inter ere with the hingingaction ofthe trnnk cover.

A further object is to provide such a combined trunk, luggage carrierand tire carrier which is simple and inexpensive in construction. yetdurable in operation.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction. arrnngcment and combination of the various parts of mydevice. whereby the objects con- 7 tcinplated are attained.ashereinafter more fully set forth. pointed out in my claims, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which:

Fig. 1' is a side elevation of the rear por- Serial No. 194,269.

tion of a vehicle to which my invention is attached and shown in openposition.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, central, sectional view through the trunk andchassis of the 'vehicle, the body thereof being shown in elevation. v

Fig. 3 is a horizontal; transverse, sectional view taken onthe line 3-3of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detail, sectional view showing the coat-tingstop. mei'nbers.

I have used the reference character 10 to indicate generally the body ofa vehicle having the longitudinal frame bars 11. Such parts as the gastank of the vehicle and other members situated between these frame barshave not been illustrated, although it will be understood thatordinarily the frame bars project rearwardly a considerable distancebeyond "such appurtenances.

The trunk of my invention comprises generally a fixed trunk member A anda movable trunk inember orcover B. The fixed trunk member A includes thebottom wall 12, forward wall 13, the side walls 14,

and a top wall 15, whichextends rearwardly,

a distance from the rearward wall 13, which is considerably less thanthe width of the bottom wall 12. It may now be noted that the side walls14 are cut away on diagonal lines extending from the forward extremit ofthe upper wall 15 to a point which is substantially the same distanceabove the lower'rear corner of the walls 14,-as the forward corners aresituated forwardly thereof, that is, the length of the perpendicularrear edges of the walls 151- is the same as the width of the bottom wall12. These perpendicular edges are provided with outwardly turned channelflanges 16, shown in (lutilll' in Fig. 4, the flanges extending theentire length of their perpendicular edges.

The cover or movable trunk member B comprises the rear or bottom wall17, the side walls 18 and the outer wall 19.

It will nowbe seen that the fixed trunk member is open at its rear sideand partially open above and that the movable trunk member or cover isentirely open both on one side and one end. The open side and end of thecover are adapted to receive the fixed trunk member A, the sides 18embracing the trunk and being spaced closely adjacent thereto. The freeend edges of the sides 18 are provided with reveraely turned flangestrunk member.

ing hasp devices 22 and 23 on the cover and 20, shown in Fig. 4, whichnormally slide in substantial contact with the sides 14 of the fixedtrunk member and.which are hidden between the sides 14 and the sides 18.In the same way, it will be seen that the channel members 16 areconstantly hidden between the sides 14 and the sides 18. WVhen the covermember B is in the position shown in Fig. l the channels 16 and 20 willinterlock, as shown in Fig. 4 and in ig. 3, during their entire length.Thus movement of the cover member B downwardly beyond the horizontalposition shown will be prevented and the cover member isthus supportedso that articles of luggage may be placed therein as well as in thefixed memberA. It may now be noted that, due to the cutting away of theupper wall and upper corner of the fixed trunk member, more space isprovided for such articles as may be taller than the trunk member. Forinstance, milk cans may be carried in the device. their upper endsprojecting above the wall 15. Where only one milk can could be. carriedby the cover member alone,'the cutting away of the trunk member allowsseveral to be carried. The wall 17 of the cover member is hinged at 21'to the lower wall 12 of the stationary trunk member. Thus the covermember may be hinged upwardly from the position shown in Fig. l to theposition shown in Fig. 2, in which the wall 17 contacts with theforward, vertical edges of the sides 14 and the end wall 19 covers theupper wall 15 of the fixed In this position, the coactfixed trunkmember, respectively,-are adapted to be secured together for locking thecover in place.

The fixed trunk member is permanently secured to the frame of thevehicle by means of extensions or brackets 24 projecting down wardlyfrom the bottom of the trunk and bolted, as at 25, to the frame bars 11.It may now be noted that the trunk is carried in a position directlyadjacent a rear wall of the body 10 where the spare tire of the vehicleis ordinarily carried. v

The problem involved in thus attaching a trunk to the rear of a vehiclehas been to dispose of the spare tire in such a way thatconvenientaccess might be had to both the tire and the trunk. Previousto my invention, it has been customary to utilize the trunk opening onlyat the top and to provide extensions from the frame of the vehicleextending around and behind'the trunk to a position where they mightsupport the tire rearwardly of the trunk. Thus the tire carrier waspermanently disposed behind the.

trunk and access to the trunk could be had only from the top. It will beimpossible to utilize such a trunk as a combined trunk and luggagecarrier and it has always been found inconvenient to obtain access tothe trunk even in the limited manner mentioned, for the reason that theperson must reach over the spare tire, subjecting his'clothes toprobable contact with the tire and necessitating undue exertion inlifting articles from the trunk. In order to overcome the objection tobuilding additional extensions for supporting the spare tire rearwardlyof the old type of trunk,'I have conceived the possibility of attachingthe tire directly to the trunk itself. This, however, would not initself entirely eliminate the objections to the. old method of attachinga trunk to a vehicle.- The presence of thetire when the trunk is to beopened, has constituted the most undesirable. feature of the oldarrangement. Ithas therefore occurred to me that by attaching the tireto the cover of the trunk itself and by properly arranging that cover,the I tire could be swung to a position where it would not interferewith the access to the trunk and eo-incidentally the trunk would beopened to display the contents thereof.

In order to carry out this broad idea, I have located the hinge at thelower, outer corner of the trunk instead of at the upper, outer corner,as in the ordinary trunk. Thus the cover member normally constitutes therear wall of the trunk and the tire may accordingly be mounted directlyon this rear wall against the face of the cover so as to be disposed ina" normal, vertical position, the same asthe position ofthe ordinaryspare tire carrier wherein it may -be readily reached for removal. Uponopening the cover, it swings downwardly 'to a horizontal position andthe tire swings underneath so as to be completely hidden beneaththecover. The tire carrier is indicated at 26 in Fig. 2 and includes thebrackets 27-by which it is attached to the wall 17 of the cover member.Any conventional type of tire carrier may be employed and a particularconstruction thereof does not form a part of my invention.

It may be noted thatthe carrier is so arranged that the tire, whenattached, will be substantially flush with the outer wall 19 of thecover andwill project substantially beyond the hinge 21 at its otherside. The distance between the brackets 24 is sufficient to receive thisprojecting portion of the tire and the space below the trunk is leftopen and unobstructed so that as the cover is swung downwardly theprojecting "portion of the tire may swing between the brackets andbetween the frame bars 11, as shown in Fig. 10. As has already beenmentioned. the gas tank of theordlnary car does not project rearwardlyas far-as the frame members and consequently there will be sufiicientspace for the tire to project forwardly, as far as'is shown in Fig. 1.Thus by allowing the tire to project beyond the hinge of a. trunk inwhich the hinge is situated at a Inn corner and leavin an unobstructedspace below the hinge an the bottom of the trunk, a tire which isconsiderably lar er in dimensions than the area of the trun may besecured thereto -in such a manner as to completely disappear beneath thetrunk when the cover is hinged downwardly.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of -my invention without departing from the real spirit andpurpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims;any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical e uivalents, whichmay be reasonably inclu ed within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A trunk of the class described, comprising a fixed trunk member, openat the rear and adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of avehicle, a movable trunk member adapted to move relative tothe fixedtrunk member, to disclose the contents thereof, to asubstantially"horizontal position serving, in con unct1on with the fixedtrunk member. as a luggage carrier in that position, and a spare tirecarrier secured to the movable trunk member and movable therewith;

2. A trunk of the class described, comprising a fixed trunk member, openat. the rear and. adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of avehicle, a movable trunk member adapted to move relative to the fixedtrunk member, to disclose the contents thereof, to a ositionsubstantially horizontal, and serving, in conjunction with the fixedtrunk member, as a luggage" carrier in that position, and a spare tirecarrier secured to the movable trunk member in a vertical position andmovable therewith to a 'position removed from its original position nearthe fixed trunk member.

3. A trunk of the classdescribed, comprising a fixed trunk member, openat its rear and adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of avehicle, a movable trunk member hingedflo the lower rear corner of thefixed trunk member, ada ted to swing from a substantially vertical, cosed position, to a substantially horizontal position serving, in

conjunction withthe fixed trunk member, to

carry luggage while in that position, and a spare tire carrier securedto the movable trunk member, positioned therebehind when the latter 'isin. closed position, and substantially concealed therebeneath when thesame is in open position. i

4. A trunk of the class described, comprising a fixed trunk memberhaving an opening and adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portionof a vehicle, a movable trunk member havlng a wall to cover sald openmg,

and having side walls embracing the fixed trunk member when the movabletruni'. mem ber is in closed position, coactmg elements on the fixed andmovable trunk members, respectively, ada ted to engage when the latteris in a horizontal position, and a spare tire carrier secured to themovable trunk member, positioned therebehind when the latter. is inclosed position, and substantially concealed thereunder when the latteris in open position.

5. A trunk of the class described, comprising a fixed trunk memberhaving an opening and adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portionof a vehicle, a movable trunk member having a wall to cover saidopening. and having side walls embracing the fixed trunk member when themovable trunk member is in closed position. coacting elements on thefixed trunk member and on the side walls of the movable trunk member,substantially concealed between said side walls and the fixed trunkmember, and adapted to engage when the movable trunk member is inhorlzontal position, and a spare tire carrier secured to the movabletrunk member, positioned therebehind when the latter is in closedposition, and substantially concealed thereunder when .the latter is inopen position. a

6. A combined trunk and luggage carrier comprising a fixed trunk memberadapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle, saidfixedtru'nk member being open corner of the fixed trunk member andadapted to move to horizontal position where the outer and side Wallsproject upwardly to form a continuation of the side walls of the fixedmember for retaining luggage. v

.7. A combined trunk and luggage carrier comprising a fixed trunk member.adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle, saidfixed trunk member being open at the rear and partially openat the top,a movable trunk member having a bottom wall to cover said rear opening,an outer wall to cover the said top' opening, and side walls adapted toclosely overlap ,theside walls of the fixed trunk member, when themovable trunk member is in closed position,

llo

the movable trunk member being hinged to the lower rear corner of thefixed trunk member. and coacting means on the side walls of the fixedand movable trunk member. respectively adapted to engage when the latteris in a horizontal position, to retain the same against movement belowsaid horizontal position.

8. combined trunk and luggage carrier compris ng a fixed trunk memberadapted to v tal position.

be ri 'dly secured to the rear portionof a vehicfii, said fixed trunkmember being open at the rear and partially open, at the top, a movabletrunk member having a bottom wall to cover said rear opening, an outerwall to cover the said top opening, and side walls adapted to closelyoverlap the side walls of the fixed trunk member, when the movable trunkmember is in closed position, the movable trunk member being hinged tothe lower rear corner of the fixed trunk member and coacting means onthe side walls of the fixed and movable trunk. member, respectivelyconcealed between the adjacent sidewalls and adapted to engage when thelatter is in a horiZontalposition, to retain the same against movementbelow said horizon- 9. A combined trunk and "luggage carrier comprisinga fixed trunk member adapted'to be ri idly secured to theyear portion ofa vehic e, said fixed trunk member being open at the rear and partiallyopen at the top, a

movable trunk member having a bottom wall to cover said rear opening, anouter wall to cover the said top opening, and side walls adapted toclosely'overlap the side walls of the fixed trunk member, when themovable trunk member is in closed position, the movable trunk memberbein hinged to the lower rear corner of the fixe "itrunk member andcoacting elements on the rear and end ed es of the side walls of thefixed and mova 1e trunk member, respectivel said coacting elementsextendin towar each other between the side wa ls and being adapted toengage when the movable "trunk member is in a horizontal position, .forretainin the same against movement below said pos tion. 10. A combinedtrunk and lugga e carrier comprising a fixed trunk member a apted to berlgidly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle, said fixed trunkmember bein open at the rear, a movable trunk member avln a bottom wallto cover said rear opening, an

having side walls adapted to closely overlap the side walls of the fixedtrunk-member when the movable trunk member is in closed position, themovable trunk member bein hinged to thelower rear corner of the fixetrunk member and ad-a ted to mow to horizontal osition where t 'e sidewalls project upwardly to form continuations of the side walls of thefixed trunk member for retaining lug age, and coating elements olr therear an end edges of the side walls of the fixed and movable trunkmembers, respectively, adapted to engage-When the latter is inhorizontal position. i

11. A combined trunk and lug age carrier, comprising a fixed trunk memer adapted to berigidly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle, saidfixed trunk member being open at the rear, a movable trunk member havinga bottom wall to cover the said rear opening, and having side wallsadapted to 7 c osely overlap the side walls of the I fixed trunk member,when the movable trunk member is in closed position, the movable trunkmember bein hinged to the lower rear corner of the xed" trunk member-andadapted; to move to horizontal position where its side walls projectupwardly to form con- I and located so as to carry a tire with aportionthereof extending beyond the hinge, the carrier being positionedbehind the movable .trnnk member when the latter is in a horizontalposition, and substantially concealed thereunder when the same is inhorizontal position, the space below the trunk fixed member beingunobstructed to receive the protruding portion of the tire.

13. A combined. trunk and luggagefcar rier comprising a fixed trunkmember adapted to be rigidly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle,said fixed trunk member being open at the rear, a movable trunk memberhinged to the lower rear corner of the fixed trunk member and having abottom wall to cover the said opening, andside walls adapt- 3 ed toclosely overlap the side walls of the fixed trunk member when themovable trunk member is in closed osition, the movable trunk memberbeing a apted tomove to substantially horizontal position where its sidewalls project upwardly to form continua- 'tions of the side walls of thefixed trunk member for r'etainingduggage, and coacting elements on theside walls of the fixed and movable trunk members respective-1y, adaptedto engage when the latter is in horizontal position.

1 4. A combinedLtrunk and luggage carrier comprisin a fixed trunkmemberadapted dly secured to the rear portion of a vehicle, sald fixedtrunk member having to be rigi an opening at the rear, amovable trunkmember having a bottom wall to cover said rear opening, and having sidewalls adapted to closely'overlap the side walls of the, fixed trunkmember, when the movable trunk member is in closed position, the movabletrunk member being hinged to the lower rear corner of the fixed trunkmember and adaptllD ed to move to substantially horizontal positionwhere the side walls project u wardly to form continuations of the sidewal s of the fixed trunk member for retaining luggage,

' and coacting'eleme'nts on the side walls of the fixed and movabletrunk members, respectively, adapted to engage when the latter is inhorizontal position, said coacting ele-' ments extending toward eachother between theside walls and being substantially concealedtherebetween: 4

15. A combined trunk and luggage carrier, comprising a fixed trunkmember adapted to be secured rigidl to the rear portion of a vehicle,said fixe trunk'member having an opening at. the rear, a movable-trunkmem-.

her having a bottom wall to cover said rear open'ing andlmving sidewalls adapted closely overlap the side walls of the fixed trunkmemberwhen the movable trunk memher is in closed position, the movable trunkmember being hlnged to the lower rear corner of the fixed trunk memberand adapted to move to a substantially horizontal position serving as a'luggage carrier, and coac ing channels formed at the rear and end edgesof the side walls of the fixed and movable trunk members, respectively,adapted ,to interlock when the latter is in horizontal position.

Signed at Sioux City, Iowa, this 20th day ERNEST YA. ARNDT.

' of May, 1927.

